far we've traveled. >> what's your big idea? >> freedom. i want to restore the kind of freedom that has always driven america's economy and allowed us to be the shining city on the hill. >> both campaigns kicking off this week with new ads trying to keep gaffes from last week alive and kicking. >> my job is not to worry about those people. >> doesn't the president have to worry about everyone? mitt romney paid just 14.1% in taxes last year. he keeps millions offshore. he won't release his tax returns before 2010. maybe instead of attacking others on taxes romney should come clean on his. >> the last four years we've been told things will get better. >> reassured by the countless slogans. >> yes, we can. >> change we can believe in. >> forward. >> now no, i can't. >> and the most important lesson i've learned is that you can't change washington from the inside. >> what?

>> no, i can't? >> no, i can't? >> today mitt romney and running mate paul ryan will kick off a three-day bus tour through ohio as party insiders call for the romney campaign to let ryan be ryan. >> we've seen republican conservatives across the board criticizing the romney campaign and wanting ryan to have a stronger voice. >> i mean, for crying out loud, we've got paul ryan on the ticket. there can't be anything more specific than a budget that we passed to get hold of the ten-year debt window. >> when he picked paul ryan, what it said to us he's not just qualified, he's the courage and passion to be an exceptional president. i want to see more of that on the campaign trail. i particularly want to see that in the debates. >> lets get out there, we go straight to ohio where the romney's bus tour will be kicking off in the town of lima this afternoon. and nbc's ron mott joins us from there. ron, mitt romney, paul ryan, they're going to pair back up tomorrow. plain to all of us how long it's been since we've seen them on the road together. because a lot of people do say

that paul ryan brings out the best in mitt romney when they're on the trail. >> reporter: absolutely. that a lot of folks are starting to beat that drum. good morning. the last time they were together was in florida on september 1st. as you mentioned, tomorrow they will be on the second day of this bus tour down in and around the cincinnati area and in and around the dayton area. paul ryan kicks it off solo today here in lima. and then on wednesday, the last day of the tour, governor romney will go it alone, hit the rest of the towns across this state. they've got their work cut out for them, but the message is simple. it's emblazoned on the bus. more jobs, morte-home pay. that's the message that the governor wants to get around to folks here in ohio and elsewhere around the country. they've got their work cut out. they've got points to make up here on the president. the latest university of cincinnati poll puts the president up about five points. and yesterday as he often does on the campaign trail, governor romney says he needs to get some of those folks who voted for president obama four years ago

to maybe consider switching and polling for him. he did that again last night in denver. take a listen. >> i need you to commit to do something. i need you to each find at least one person who voted for barack obama last time and convince -- oh, they're just fine. we need them to come vote for me this time. >> reporter: that may be a tough sell here in ohio for some, especially those who are in the auto industry. one out of eight jobs here, thomas, connected to the auto industry. of course, governor romney was not a fan of the government bailout of the auto industry. back to you. >> we'll see how the retail politics goes over the next three days. nbc's ron mott, thank you. want to bring in our political power panel, dana millbank from "the washington post." keith boykin, contributor and b.e.t. columnist and msnbc contributor susan. good to have you all here. dana, i want to start with you. there's this new poll that is putting the president ahead of mitt romney nationally. now, within that same poll itself, it puts the president ahead of the governor on the

issues of taxes, also on medicare, the two are tied on jobs. romney leading on one issue and one issue only, basically the budget and spending. in your latest argument or article, rather, you make the argument about mitt romney saying that voters don't need more mitt. what they need is core mitt. do you think we're going to see core mitt over these next three days because ohio being such a key battleground state that it is, that the president right now is leading, do you think that he can turn it around right now on this bus trip? >> you know, thomas, we keep expecting that he'll do that, and then he gets off and distracted on the latest flavor of the week or of the day. so he seems to be bouncing around and not giving a coherent cohesive message. this has been his problem throughout. now, the polls are continuing to edge more and more in obama's direction, particularly in the battleground states. but as you're pointing out, somewhat nationally as well. this doesn't mean this thing is

over. and it is theoretically possible for romney to get this back on track. but why isn't he out there actually giving people some sort of an alternative to obama to be actually out there giving specifics? we're still waiting. >> a lot of people were watching last night, susan, to "60 minutes," both president obama and mitt romney appeared on the show. and the governor was asked whether he needs to change up his campaign. and get through these next 43 days with a major shift. let's show everybody. >> mitt romney, i think, has an advantage because he's been through 20 of these debates in the primaries over the last year. he even bragged that he was declared the winner in 16 of those debates. >> so that's robert gibbs, not "60 minutes." so i lied to everybody when i just said we were going to watch something from "60 minutes." guys, can we pull up the sound bite from "60 minutes"? yes.

i'll smile loving into the camera until i see the "60 minutes" piece, you know? >> okay. >> all right. they're telling me that we don't have it. i'll stop smiling lovingly into the camera. one thing we did play off the top was part of mitt romney's "60 minutes" interview where he talked about the big idea was freedom. also not saying that he's going to make any campaign changes between now and election day. but the big idea about freedom, has mitt romney crafted that vision large enough for republicans across this country? because the only thing we hear about when it comes to freedom is not freedom of choice, it's not going to be freedom to marry your same-sex partner, it's not going to be freedom to go to the polls and vote unless you've got the right voter i.d. to do it. so where is your freedom? >> well, i think to step back where the campaign needs to go if there's going to be a shift, it really goes to dana's point earlier about where is the core mitt? he's got to talk more about than freedom. he's got to offer specifics. what's he going to offer up? in the debate coming up in nine days is a chance for him to do

that and to continuously stay on that message. if he doesn't do it, especially with unemployment numbers coming out two days after that, if he can't get on a roll and stay with it, it's going to be very difficult for him to come back. >> all right. so one thing that we need to talk about is what robert gibbs had to say, keith, about the fact that they are preparing both sides aggressively for the debates. and they're both kind of downplaying it. the great order is over here and shiny and smart over here. but one thing that mitt romney has had practice at is getting through the primaries, and that was a rigorous debate schedule they went through there. but as we look at what the president has to get ready for, do you think that they're both trying to lower expectations with robert gibbs, you know, out on the talkers saying my ing mid the practice and the romney camp is saying romney is very smart and a great debater? >> of course that's what's going on. obviously mitt romney is a good debater. he made it through the primaries and has had practice this year. barack obama, debating is not his greatest strength.

he's a wonderful orator and has been a successful president. i think he'll do a good job, but i think it's going to be a competitive debate. >> do you think it's going to make a big difference for mitt romney to really show himself and really for these two men to be on the same stage? >> well, that helps mitt romney to be on the same stage with the president of the united states. there's no doubt. it always helps the challenger with the incumbent. the problem, though, is i think what susan pointed out and dana pointed out is that we really don't know who mitt romney is. so the question is which mitt romney will appear on the debate stage? and that will determine whether people will believe whatever candidate shows up at that time. >> all right. dana, real fast, though, president obama has a lot on his agenda. starting tomorrow, he's going to be here in new york city. and what's on the schedule is this high-stakes speech before the u.n. nbc's first read is calling it the president's do-no-harm week. and the reason they're saying that is because he doesn't really have on one-on-ones with

any other world leaders. he's got to sit down with the ladies of "the view." sure, i mean, and they're going to hit him with some hard questions. but, you know, it's not going to be the same thing as meeting with world leaders. the romney campaign is going after the president on this issue. is that a mistake for the president and his foreign policy to not have any one-on-ones this week at the u.n. session? >> i'm not sure it's the smartest thing to send the message of going on "the view" without these other things set up. but of course, romney's been doing -- making the rounds in similar ways, so he can't really make an argument on that. but, look, the president will be seen as commander in chief in that limelight this week. that generally works to an incumbent president's advantage. >> and the funny thing is romney said in that secret tape in florida that he didn't want to go on "the view." >> whoopi goldberg. >> afraid of whoopi, and now he should be since he said that. today's power panel, dana, keith and susan, thank you, i appreciate it. success for all. how a low-income school

district? ohio turned itself around and is now scoring very high marks. some of the best in the state. you need to see that. plus blocking 10 million votes. why the new tougher voting laws could keep people from the polls on election day. the new voter i.d. laws, tweet me @thomasaroberts. we're back after this. have to find new ways to help make life easier, more convenient and more rewarding. it's the reason why we don't have costumers. we have members. american express. welcome in.

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the battle over teachers, schools, students and how best to improve our nation's education system is at the heart of education nation this week on msnbc. nbc's craig melvin recently visited a school in ohio where some of the poorest kids are among the highest performers. >> reporter: at wells academy in steubenville, ohio, children seem to enjoy learning. really enjoy it. how would you describe your

school to a stranger? >> amazing. >> reporter: amazing? >> you can learn a lot. >> reporter: your elementary school is considered by many to be the best in ohio. >> well, we were rated the highest in ohio this past school year. >> reporter: surprising, perhaps, since disappearing steel jobs left high unemployment and a corroding rust belt town. at wells, 60% of the students live in poverty. >> one thinks kids from poor families can't achieve. they won't achieve. our philosophy is the kids walk in the door. they're all equal. no excuses on our part. >> he was -- >> reporter: it's part philosophy and part approach. since 2000, school officials have used a rigorous curriculum program called success for all. there's an intense focus on reading and math. >> so he made --

>> reporter: every school day starts with 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading. >> after you read, your partner reads to you, you have to ask -- you have to retell what they read so that you can, like, ask them questions. >> reporter: then it's on to 75 n minutes of math. >> if the kids can compute and problem solve, they're going to be good in sciences and so forth. >> let's go over number one again. >> reporter: there's also a different teaching style here. >> teachers were used to so much teacher talk, and they had to step back from the role of being the one in control 100% of the day and constantly talking and let the students have time to talk. >> it's kids helping me out, just regular kids. >> reporter: and this is every day or -- >> every day. >> when they struggle and i understand the question, i explain it to them. >> reporter: at night, parents are asked to sign homework proving they've participated. >> homework was, like, you know, like wait a minute. i've got to look this up myself.

>> reporter: success for all isn't a fad. it's been in schools since 1987. today there are roughly 1,000 schools in some 47 states including roosevelt elementary here in dalton, illinois, that use the program. wells academy started in 2000. soon after their state reading and math scores among fourth graders consistently reached 100%. today, all but a handful of the 320 students read at or above grade level. despite the numbers and banners, this tl are critics. some teachers complain the program is too rigid and restrictive. their daily lesson plans are scripted. >> it's a regiment in the sense that no one is shooting from their hip, if that's what we want to call regimented, then that's what i want. >> reporter: success for all does call for regular testing so teachers know precisely where students are because at wells, struggling students get tutors. individual attention, time on task, and an emphasis on the

basics. that's how they're changing the equation and making the grade at wells academy. craig melvin, nbc news, steubenville, ohio. >> it's a great piece. and that school is the brainchild of robert slaven, director for research and reform education at johns hopkins university school of education. he's also co-founder and chairman of the success for all foundation. bob, it's great to have you here. and when you hear that, hear the news from that piece that 60% of those students living in poverty, and yet you hear about a success rate like that, why aren't other schools more apt to jump on board and learn from that example? >> well, i don't really know. we do work with 1,000 schools across the country. and that is a lot of schools. but why this has not become something that's part of the overall conversation about school reform, i don't really understand it because the research behind it, the ability to go to scale has been demonstrates for many years. >> when we talk about children that are living below the

poverty line and education basically being the key, the ladder to a successful future, in recent years, especially since you started success for all, how have you seen these changes implemented in different schools and the success of these young students? >> we work in schools of all different kinds from inner city detroit to the bering straits of alaska to indian reservations to all different kinds of districts. and we've had success across all of those different types. i can't say that every single school is successful, but every type of school we've shown a great deal of success and have done a lot of research to show that the gains that are possible, if you simply decide to take the achievement of every single kid very seriously. >> there are gains, but there has also been criticism, bob, people say this program does sacrifice individuality or creativity, that education is more than just the basics of

math and reading. so how can schools ensure creative diversity but also ensure the basic comprehension skills for math and reading so that they can compete not just with students inside our own country but when we think globally about the students around the world? >> i think the experience that kids actually have and the teachers actually have in success for all are exactly what every parent would want for their kids. it's way more than just math and reading. it's -- and it's not a rigid approach. in a way, success for all schools are what you would imagine if "sesame street" ran schools or if disney ran schools. the kids are having a ball. they are very engaged with each other. they're working in kcooperative groups. teachers are teaching their little hearts out. we're very focused on making sure that every single kid is succeeding and that we're very much aware of where kids are and

what kids need. but the kids are having a wild good time. the teachers are really doing an outstanding job of teaching and making it their own. using a lot of creativity and a lot of energy to make it all happen. >> as we see with the example of wells academy also getting parents involved to make sure that they are paying attention to their children's school work, active participation from them. robert slavin, thank you. i want to point out for everybody tomorrow both president obama and mitt romney will talk about their education plans for the country. president obama will do so in an interview with "today" and mitt romney with msnbc anchor brian williams in this hour. 46 million americans could end up voting before election day. that's why the fight for early voters is more critical than ever this time around. how is it changing the landscape of this presidential campaign? plus, talk about an iphone frenzy. a huge brawl breaks out at an apple supplier in china. up to 2,000 employees involved

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now you're a real fisherman. [ male announcer ] humana. welcome back, everybody. here's a look at some of the stories topping the news right now. foxconn has closed one of its plants in northern china for a day after a riot broke out. the company says about 1,000 employees were involved in that incident. some 40 of whom had to be hospitalized. several people have been arrested. and the company says the cause of the original despite is still being investigated. economists say that the sales of the iphone 5 could add $3 billion to the u.s. economy by the end of this year. iphone buyers flocked to stores over the weekend snapping up over 5 million iphones since those sales began on friday. new england patriots head coach bill belichick might be hearing from the nfl sooner rather than later. did you see this? because at the end of last

night's loss to the ravens, an angry belichick ran up to an official and grabbed his arm, clearly violating nfl policy. this as frustration continues to mount over the performance of replacement referees. the players association is now calling on the league to end its lockout of the officials union. the television industry honors its top stars at last night's emmy awards. and showtime's drama "homeland" won big in its em may debut. the thriller unseated "mad men" as the top drama. damian lewis and claire danes both took home awards. abc's "modern family" dominated comedy category winning for best overall comedy series for the third straight year. it was a good night for "game change." the hbo movie won four awards including one for lead actress julianne moore who won for her portrayal of sarah palin. >> wow, wow! i feel so validated because sarah palin gave me a big thumbs down. >> jon stewart took home a

trophy for the tenths consecutive year for "the daily show." and julia louis-dreyfus beat out amy poehler. jon cryer won lead actor in a comedy award. congrats to them all. zookeepers think liver problems may be the cause in the death of a panda cub. unusual amount of fluids including milk in the cub's system. the four-ounce cub died yesterday morning, breaking the hearts of the cub's caregivers. staffers closed down the exhibit at the national zoo in d.c. to make sure that the mom is healthy. so we keep hearing about the 47%, right? but this election will come down to about 7%, or even less than that. now we talk about the undecideds. who are they, and why do they have such a hard time making up their minds? plus -- >> and let me tell you, no matter how hard this campaign gets, i will always be by his side. to quote the great beyonce. >> yeah, ann romney channeling

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oh, hey alex. just picking up some, brochures, posters copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign.

looks good. [ male announcer ] fedex office. now save 50% on banners. election day only 43 days away. but right now 25 out of 50 states have started early and absentee voting. by the end of the month that number jumps to 30 states. and that includes several of the battle grounds that will decide this election. absentee ballots are being cast. virginians have also started in-person voting. iowa follows suit this thursday. meanwhile, legal battles are being waged over that issue in two critical states. in florida, where more than half of the voters cast early ballots in the last presidential election. and then in ohio where early and absentee voting accounted for a quarter of the 2008 vote. now, our latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll found up to 54% of likely voters in florida may vote early. while the same is true for up to 41% of voters who live in ohio.

i want to bring in nbc news senior political editor mark murray. mark, president obama won the early vote, we'll remind everybody back in '08, and one professor at george mason says more than one in three voters is expected to vote early this time around. so how do the campaigns take that into focus? >> well, the campaigns take that into focus, thomas, election day is right now. it's not necessarily on november 6th. it is occurring right now. and you see the romney campaign trailing in the polls really needs to get time back on their side. you see why they're being so aggressive right now, trying to get back into this contest, why mitt romney is going to be barnstorming through ohio over the next few days. they realize that time is of the essence right now with people in half the country already beginning to vote, either in person or by absentee, which means that election day is right now, not six weeks from now. >> yeah, it's going on as we speak. and before the debates even start. we're nine days away from that, and some people have started before even seeing these two men on the same stage.

does this go into the president's favor, given the debates, you know, that we've seen romney perform in during the primary, maybe people have seen what they need to see? >> well, in some ways, you would look that this goes to obama's favor. the wind is at his back. they want to be able to bank all of these votes as early as possible, which is why you see the obama campaign put such an emphasis on early and absentee voting. they really want to get their votes in their column already in and bank on that. i will tell you that the romney campaign did an effective job of this during the republican primary season as well, too. so you're trying to see both campaigns get their folks, get the votes that they can count on right away, get those ballots in. >> all right. one thing as you point out, you can't make more time, but people on the super pacs and in their campaigns, they can make more money. and bill clinton spoke out about the role of super pacs in the appearance on "face the nation" yet. take a listen. >> i think that the republican

super pacs and the romney campaign combined will outspend the democrats probably 2 1/2, 3-1 from here on in. >> so are the super pacs really the wild card, the countdown? >> there are, but there are two theories, one that they'll overwhelm president obama and his backers. the on the other hand, thomas, are we approaching diminishing returns? if you're a voter in ohio, iowa, new hampshire, chances are you've seen almost every tv ad possible and might have already made up your mind. so there is a question of whether it would actually impact people in the final days or whether it's just become white noise. >> nbc news senior political editor mark murray, thank you. appreciate it, mark. not everyone is in a rush to vote early. polls show that less than 10% of likely voters are still undecided in the presidential election. though they're starting to make up their minds. and "saturday night live" had some fun with those still uncommitted voters this weekend. if you miss it haed it, take a . >> before you get our vote, you're going to have to answer some questions.

questions like -- >> when is the election? how soon do we have to decide? >> what are the names of the two people running? and be specific. >> where is the president right now? is he or she running? because if so, experience is maybe something we should consider. >> we are america's undecided voters. there's still a lot we don't know. >> and we want answers. >> low information voters of america is responsible for the content of this advertising. >> some simple questions there, right? let's bring in lynn, a political science professor at ucla and co-author of "the gamble: choice and chance in the 2012 presidential election." lynn, it's great to have you here. and bill maher pointed out that even the octo-mom and kim kardashians, they're undecided right now. he talked about that this weekend. we certainly hope that undecided voters aren't nearly as clueless as they are in that "snl" skit, you know, wondering what are their names and let's be

specific. but are these undecided voters still waiting for when it seems that the choice will be crystal clear to them? >> i don't think that's the right way to think about it. so there's a little bit of good news here vis-a-vis the "snl" skit. i think they're waiting for nothing other than election day. and the right way to think about what's going on with these folks is not indecision. i think it's nondecision. it's just not on their radar yet. they haven't focused on it. much the same way that some people wait until their friend's birthday to run out and buy the gift, and other people are thinking weeks in advance about that perfect present. so it's just not part of what they talk about and what they think about. >> since july, you say that 37% of voters who were undecided in 2011 would vote for the president, 33% for romney. how do you think those decisions are motivated? >> well, we have been

interviewing people since december of 2011. so we have two interviews with 37,000 people. and we know when they're making up their minds and what the drivers are. and the number one driver is party identification. so these undecided voters, many of them identify with the party, and then for those who don't, it's incumbency, it's the state of the polls right now, who's ahead in the polls. they want to hop on that bandwagon. and those are all reasons why the romney campaign is really concerned about the current state of things. >> meanwhile, those undecideds, they get to play hard to get because they know that both sides want to get their wrote. lynn varreck, lynn, thank you. and a new report is saying that gop-backed voter i.d. laws could leave millions of latinos locked out on election day. the advancement project says more than 10 million hispanics are at risk due to restrictions. they include strict photo rules, proof of citizenship

requirements and voter roll purges. and in terms of influence on november the 6th, the hispanic vote could make all the difference in the world. nbc latino web producer sandra lily joins me more to talk about that. the big thing here is about awareness and knowing how voters around this country need to protect their rights and how are awareness campaigns going? >> well, for months, and i would say for over a year, national nonpartisan civil rights organizations, latino organizations, have been saying that it is an issue. these onerous voter i.d. laws that make it much harder. the irony the problem the hispanic community has is not enough latinos vote. over half are registered. so theish issue is not that latinos are going in droves, it's that they're not voting. >> we heard from a strong voice last night, the first lady who was speaking before the congressional black caucus about this very issue. take a listen. >> this is the movement of our

era, protecting that fundamental right, not just for this election but for the next generation and generations to come. because in the end, it's not just about who wins or who loses or who we vote for on election day. it's about who we are as americans. >> as we look at this, this is a large civil rights issue within latino communities. a lot of people will watch this segment, and they'll tweet me, who don't you know that doesn't really have a driver's license or some type of state photo i.d.? a lot of people can't process the fact that there are million of people that may not have the proper photo i.d. necessary. and that their vote is then -- they're being ignored for their vote or being turned away. >> you're absolutely right. and it's hard to understand, especially if you live in a normal suburb or metro area and you have a car and you have a driver's license. but, for example, when they were studying what was going on in texas, they showed there were hispanics that never had driver's licenses, who lived in rural areas that were almost

hundreds of miles from any office. and by the way, it was only two or three times a month to be able to get one of these i.d.s. so it's not that easy. and i guess it's hard to understand when you're not in that situation, or students. students from metro areas who never had a car and never had to and they're not even allowed to use a university photo i.d. it is a big issue that affects millions. and if you're not in that situation, you might not understand that. >> one thing about texas, that three-judge panel voted, their worrying was basically that this is an unfair burden on the poor, equating it to a poll tax. >> precisely because of what we were talking about before, it really is difficult. >> sandra lilley. president obama plans to skip out on private meetings while at the u.s. this week, instead focusing more on his re-election campaign. but is that a mistake? former state department spokesman jaime rubin joins me. secretary of state hillary clinton steps into the

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welcome back, everybody. president obama arrives here in new york in a few hours and will address the annual opening session of the united nations general assembly tomorrow. however, because of what the white house says is a tight schedule, the president will not meet with any other world leaders also gathered here. in his speech, though, the president will have the chance to distinguish his world vision from mitt romney's including where the two candidates stand on the tense issue of iran. now, on "60 minutes," president obama defended his record on foreign policy while mitt romney took aim at it. >> well, let's see what i've done since i came into office. i said i'd end the war in iraq. i did. i said that we'd go after al

qaeda. they have been decimated in the fatah. that we'd go after bin laden. he's gone. if governor romney is suggesting that we should start another war, he should say so. >> we also have to communicate that israel is our ally, our close ally. the president's decision not to meet with bibi netanyahu, prime minister of israel, when the prime minister is here for the united nations session i think is a mistake and sends a message throughout the middle east that somehow we distanced ourselves from our friends. >> joining me now is spokesman during the clinton administration jamie rubin. as we remind everybody, your former boss bill clinton, he met with world leaders during their re-election years during u.n. times. the president is getting some criticism from people who think that this is a mistake not to do any one-on-ones considering the situation out of libya and also considering the fact that while in new york, he will make time to go to the chat show "the

view." do you think that's politically a mistake? >> well, the president has put forward a pretty compelling case for his stewardship on foreign policy, and i think he's going to run on that. in terms of foreign policy decision-making, there are many ways in which leaders in the modern era can talk to each other. i think one-on-one meetings are often the best, but there are other ways. he clearly set his priorities. governor romney has used that as a way to attack him. and he's suffering that critique. frankly, i don't think the number of meetings you have at the u.n. is going to be a decisive factor. the voters will make, you know, decisions based on an overall record, not this kind of, you know, one-upmanship. >> even with egyptian president morsi coming here, also, again, with the crisis that we've been watching in libya and the protests that have been going on over the last two weeks, and not

so much that there should be this criticism of "the view," but if the president doesn't take these one-on-one meetings but then will make time to do basically a campaign stop for this pretaped interview on their sofa, doesn't that set him up for these vulnerable jabs from the right? >> well, yes, it does. you know, i come from the foreign policy community. i've been in sessions where the president's schedule is being decided, and guys like me would make the case that this is a unique opportunity to get a lot of business done, whether it's morsi, whether it's shoring up the coalition on iran, israel, whoever. and we would make that argument. and then there would be some political folks, and they'd make their argument. so, you know, as a foreign policy professional, i certainly would prefer to see the president having more meetings rather than less no matter who the president is because i think that america's president has a strong influence on the world's

events. and the more he's getting that message across both publicly and privately, the better off we are. but they obviously made a different judgment. >> is this from the judgment of do no harm this week, almost of not putting himself in a situation of meeting with these world leaders in a one-on-one basically to limit offending someone like a bibi netanyahu if he wasn't going to take a meeting with him, but to come in, do the business of giving his speech and then being able to go back to the campaign trail? >> look, once you've decided to limit the number to a very small amount of time, then you have a real problem because if you include one person, then you don't include others, then you create a lot of offense. we have a lot of friends in the world, the uk, the french, the israelis, arab countries, so, you know, just picking out israel and saying that's the big problem here i think is incorrect. if you're going to argue that we need to have these meetings,

then they should be with several of our friends and allies, and a lot of business ought to be done. look, i'm sure they took this all into account. i think you've probably hit the nail on the head that the overall approach in these months before the election is do no harm, is get through this period of time and then, you know, there's time in a second term to do the business of the united states. but, again, as a foreign policy professional, i would prefer the campaign didn't interfere. obviously it has. >> former state department spokesman jamie rubin, great to see you. hillary clinton 2016? big question. it's time for the "poli sidebar." here's what bill clinton said on "face the nation" yesterday. >> i just don't know. she's an extraordinarily able person. i never met anybody i thought was a better public servant. but i have no earthly idea what she'll decide to do. >> of course, that's not the first time he's been asked about his wife's presidential

aspiration, but it seems like now he's leaving the door slightly more open, if only just a tiny crack. >> we're not kids anymore. i don't have any idea if she'll ever run again. she says she won't. it's up to her, really. i don't think she plans to do it. she wants to come home, get a little rest, do some other things. and she thinks she won't -- if she's told you and everybody else -- that she thinks she'll probably never run for office again. some advice for mitt romney and paul ryan, and it's straight out of her playbook. the former vice presidential nominee told "the weekly standard" they need to go rogue, saying "with so much at stake in this election, both mitt romney and paul ryan should go rogue and not hold back from telling the american people the true state of our economy and national security." and mitt romney's chief defender, his wife, ann romney, channels beyonce on "saturday night live." at least in their style. take a look. >> i understand that mitt and i

have led a blessed life, but are we more elitist than barack and michelle obama? they're friends with jay-z and beyonce. did i miss something? is hanging out with jay-z and beyonce a thing regular people do now? >> i didn't think of that. >> let me tell you, no matter how hard this campaign gets, i will his side. to quote the great beyonce, me and my boo, bboo with this chick right beside. ladies if you love the man show him your the fliest, grind up on him, show him how you ride. empty nesters and boomers are a grets market for the cruiseline industry. the aarp has great tips on staying healthy on the high seas. avoid seasickness, have your physician prescribe anti-nausea medication before leaving. the sun is stronger at sea so

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mitt romney is still trying to recover from what some

republicans are saying are two of the worst weeks ever for a presidential candidate. some warn the democrats against celebrating what more could president obama do to clinch re-election? one man has a plan that is msnbc contributor and "washington post" columnist matt miller, he offers what he calls a modest proposal and involves something called operation video. matt, good to have you here. you said the obama campaign and you say this, should actually pay undecided voters to watch two videos in full. how much cash are we talking and what videos are we talking about? >> it's simple, thomas. if you took about a million undecided voters, that's what the political experts say is in play in about five or six states to decide the election, and paid them 75 or $100 to watch bill clinton's convention speech and mitt romney's famous 47% video, i think this would lock this thing up. and that's about $100 million. a lot of the high net worth

democratic dopers who have kept their -- donors who have kept their pocketbooks closed don't like the super pac things, the sewer of negative ads that seems to fund this would be paying for people to watch real life events and maybe i'm biased but i think any undecided person who watched those two things in succession would be persuaded by bill clinton's case and really put off by mitt romney's conde sense. >> the legality of this, how do you not get the obama administration wrapped around the axle of buying votes? >> it's not buying votes. focus group research, they pay people all the time. that's what i kind of pegged the payment to. they will pay, you know, 50 bucks to get people to come in from a two hour session to explore their opinion. the idea you could pay voters to watch certain videos and perhaps answer some questions afterwards is perfectly legal and i think, you know, it's partly tongue in cheek but partly a targeted effort that would seal the deal.

>> and some people could probably use that 100 bucks. "washington post" columnist, msnbc contributor matt mill here that's going to wrap things up for me. "now" with alex wagner comes your way next. >> hey, thomas. a magical mystery tour sets its sight on the buckeye state while the release of governor romney's tax returns raises more questions than answers. meanwhile the majority of voters may have already made up their minds. michael steele, sam stein, heather mcghee and eric bates join us for a discussion on the ticking campaign clock. congress reaches a bipartisan agreement to skip town. luke russert breaks down the peace out on capitol hill. we'll have all of that when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. most of the pain i experience is in my knees. when i think of aspirin, i really think of it as that bottle in the back of my parents' medicine cabinet. finding bayer advanced was huge. i was really surprised by how well it worked. and i'd definitely use it again. put bayer advanced aspirin to the test for yourself at fastreliefchallenge.com.

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bama and i approve romney: "it's time to stand up to the cheaters" vo: tough on china? not mitt romney. when a flood of chinese tires threatened a thousand american jobs... it was president obama who stood up to china and protected american workers. mitt romney attacked obama's decision... said standing up to china was "bad for the nation and our workers." how can mitt romney take on the cheaters... when he's taking their side?

there are 43 days left in the campaign season and the candidates are battling to win every hour of every day until november 6th except for